DOE Low Temperature Plasma Science Centers and Facilities Solicitation

Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity. Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO).

Program Summary 

Centers, that are cohesive and synergistic, should be formed by a closely-interacting group of investigators. Designated user facilities should be similar to the ones outlined in Chapter 5 of the 2016 Frontiers of Plasma Science Workshops report and may be hosted by a group of institutions or a single institution. Both centers and user facilities should be able to address one or more topical areas at the frontier of low temperature plasma science and engineering. Specific research areas of interest include:

  • interfacial plasma (i.e., low temperature plasma coming into contact with liquid to produce new chemical reactivity through a gas-liquid interface);
  • interaction of plasma with biomaterials (e.g., understanding how plasma-produced chemical reactivity is delivered through multiple interfaces, such as liquid, cells, tissue, polymers);
  • control of plasma-electromagnetic interaction (e.g., fundamental understanding of how radio-frequency electromagnetic power produces controllable plasmas to enable microelectronics processing);
  • Plasma catalysis (e.g., understanding the plasma reactivity and catalyst selectivity);
  • Plasma aided combustion (e.g., control of pulsed plasmas to improve the efficiency of chemical processing);
  • Interface between plasma and solid-state physics (e.g., understanding the boundary layer between plasma and solid-state surface);
  • Coherent structures (e.g., understanding electric self-organization in low temperature plasmas);
  • Other emerging areas such as plasma aided aeronautics, plasma process control through machine learning, etc.

Excluded from this call is research on low-energy nuclear reactions and “cold fusion.”

Deadlines

CU Internal Deadline: 11:59pm MST January 10, 2019

Sponsor Pre-Application Deadline: 3:00pm MST January 25, 2019

Sponsor Application Deadline (invitation only): 3:00pm MST March 25, 2019

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

  • Project Summary (2-3 pages): Please include the following elements: project objectives, technical approach of proposed research for the center or collaborative research facility, research areas and/or operation regimes, plasma sources and/or parameters, diagnostics and/or modeling tools currently available and needed enhancements, institutional commitment, facility management, external user program and expectations.
  • Project Team (up to 1 page): Please list the names and institutional affiliations of all participating investigators, including collaborators and consultants.
  • PI CV
  • Budget Overview (up to 1 page): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit: https://colorado.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/home/6312

Eligibility

An individual may participate as a PI on one application only.

An institution is strongly encouraged to develop and submit its best research ideas into one single center proposal or one single collaborative research facility proposal.

Limited Submission Guidelines

No more than two applications (or pre-applications) will be accepted from a lead institution.

Award Information

Award Amount: $300,000 to $1,700,000

Award Duration: Up to 5 years.